Arkansas races attract national figuresLITTLE ROCK — The parade of national Republican Party figures through Arkansas touting the GOP’s candidates underscores just how much the party is counting on a state that had once been considered a Democratic stronghold in the South. It also offers the GOP a chance to make another, not-subtle dig at what they say is Democrats’ biggest weakness — the unpopularity of their national leaders in the state. The separate visits by former Republican ...

Arkansas should consider changing its method of selecting judgesArkansas needs to change its system of selecting judges, and we need to do it before the people who elect them lose confidence in their courts. That’s not to say the courts are doing such a bad job, but we’ve seen the future and it’s not good. Here’s the problem: Political action committees, fueled by tons of money donated by anonymous people, corporations and special interest organizations such as unions, are beginning to decide who will pres...

Arkansas pays its debtsLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas and America are still feeling the after effects of the Great Recession. Since the global economic collapse of 2008, our state has worked tirelessly to replace lost jobs and restore economic growth. While there are many national factors that influence the speed and scope of any recovery effort, there is a benchmark we are about to reach in Arkansas. Again, we show our capacity to work together and meet challenges. Arkansa...

How did we get here?The humor writer and lecturer Josh Billings (1818-85) once said of debt, “Like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.” While not a pleasant topic to discuss over dinner, when it comes to our national debt (now more than $17 trillion), have you ever asked yourself this question, “How did we get here?” The simple answer is like the frog someone placed in warm water and slowly turned up the heat until he literally...

ISIS a national security threatBELFAST, Northern Ireland — U.S. airstrikes that have helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces recapture a strategic dam and halt, at least temporarily, the advance of ISIS terrorists on the Kurdish capital of Erbil are a welcome pushback against a relentless enemy that for a time seemed invincible. But it may be of no more strategic significance than Jimmy Doolittle’s bombing run against Japan in World War II. Doolittle’s raid gave a psychological boo...

The media and the mobThose of us who admit that we were not there, and do not know what happened when Michael Brown was shot by a policeman in Ferguson, Mo., seem to be in the minority. We all know what has happened since then — and it has been a complete disgrace by politicians, the media and mobs of rioters and looters. Despite all the people who act as if they know exactly what happened, nevertheless when the full facts come out, that can change everything. Thi...

Political stereotypingWhile we might like to think that voters research the issues, review the candidates, and then vote for the candidate that best reflects their views; the reality, based on political science research, is much different. According to George Washington University Professor Danny Hayes’ research paper “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution,” “Stereotypes are relevant in politics because citizens are willing to d...

Arkansas’ other health care reformLet’s play a word association game. I write “health care reform.” What comes to mind? Probably “Obamacare,” and probably, if you live in Arkansas, not in a positive light. You might next think, “private option,” the state program that uses federal dollars under Obamacare to buy private insurance for lower-income Arkansans. Meanwhile, there’s another important health care reform effort underway. While Obamacare and the private option are mostly...

Random thoughtsRandom thoughts on the passing scene: I don’t know why we are spending our hard-earned money paying taxes to support a criminal justice system, when issues of guilt and innocence are being determined on television — and even punishment is being meted out by CNN’s showing the home and address of the policeman accused in the Ferguson, Missouri shooting. One of the big differences between Democrats and Republicans is that we at least know what th...

Proposal to abolish state office doesn’t go far enoughTwo state senators want to lead an effort to abolish the lieutenant governor’s office, and they make a good point. But they’re not thinking big enough. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, and Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, said last week that they will push a bipartisan proposal to get a constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot that would eliminate what should be the second most important of Arkansas’ seven constitutional offices. It could be one of ...

Next governor gets Delta woesPINE BLUFF — The head of the Delta Regional Authority said a mouthful when he told a jobs conference last week that Arkansas’ next governor would face a unique set of challenges after taking office in 2015. Unique? Yes. New? No. Several generations removed from a Depression- and flood-fueled exodus, eastern Arkansas is still trying to regain an economic toehold. Governors and governments haven’t solved the problems in the Delta, but gubernator...

Big potential for broadbandLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has made great strides in national measurements for health care, excellence in education, and continued economic stability. We will keep building on that progress by embracing the tools, skills and resources necessary for us to remain competitive. One of those vital resources is a stronger broadband Internet infrastructure in our state, especially in our schools. While in the past, cost has hindered the expansion of broa...

Why the long name?I once saw a recording of a horse race. I don’t recall which race it was, but one of the horses involved was named “AARRRRRRR,” which was pretty hilarious to hear the poor announcer scream every time the situation called for it. Especially because the guy really committed to screaming the name every chance he got. And when I first began working for The Courier, I did a story on a girl named Audrey Price, who was 14 at the time and broke a 49-y...

Cops: Drunk got in car with officersPittsburgh police said a drunken woman tried to drive away in an unmarked police car — with two officers still inside. According to a criminal complaint, Ria Buford, 32, got into the car at about 2:15 a.m. Saturday outside a nightclub that was hosting a party after the Wiz Khalifa concert. Police said she sat in the driver’s seat and told the two plainclothes officers in the back that she intended to drive the vehicle to where her own was park...

Dave Matthews Band makes good after fiascoAbout 10 years ago, around the time the Dave Matthews Band was really popular, there was an incident over the Chicago River. A driver for the band’s tour bus emptied the bus’ septic tank — coincidently at the same time an architectural boat tour passed beneath. The result was 800 pounds of human waste falling from the bridge and onto the unsuspecting boat-goers. Passengers on the boat, Chicago’s Little Lady, said it ruined their clothes and ma...

Are we becoming a nation of drug addicts?Attitude is a very powerful thing, on the part of an individual and also on the part of a nation. In this respect, we hear all the time that attitudes are changing. From my perspective, I am not sure they are changing for the better, and this is especially true when it comes to non-prescription drugs. In the past I would have said “illegal” drugs, but some drugs today that were once illegal are now legal. As one who has never used any kind of ...

The Nixon resignation 40 years laterOn the occasion of this week’s 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency, The Washington Post sponsored a reunion featuring Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Watergate reporters who “brought down” the 37th president. In fact, Nixon committed political suicide. He thought he could get away with what other politicians had done, but forgot the rules are different for Republicans. The Post event resembled a celebration...

Veteran Crawford’s vote against VA fundingIn 1988, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford was an Army bomb technician serving in Pakistan. It was his job to keep things from exploding. On July 30, he played with a little fire. Crawford, a Republican who represents Eastern Arkansas 1st District, was one of only five U.S. House members voting against a bill providing $10 billion for private providers to serve veterans when the VA system is overloaded. The bill also made it possible for senior executiv...

Mom’s fineAugust has been a challenging month for my family the last few years. Two years ago, while my children, Maggie and Robert, and I were visiting my sister, Kathy, and her husband, Paul, in Key Biscayne, Florida, our mother ended up in the hospital in critical condition. While she recovered temporarily, she ultimately suffered a stroke right when school started in the fall of 2012. She spent the next year in a nursing home close to our home in At...

Is thinking obsolete?Some have said that we are living in a post-industrial era, while others have said that we are living in a post-racial era. But growing evidence suggests that we are living in a post-thinking era. Many people in Europe and the Western Hemisphere are staging angry protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza. One of the talking points against Israel is that far more Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli military attacks than th...